THEN ALL OF YOU
Today's reading: Deuteronomy 1-3
"I said to you, ‘You have now reached the hill country of the Amorites that the LORD our God is giving us. 21Look! He has placed the land in front of you. Go and occupy it as the LORD, the God of your ancestors, has promised you. Don’t be afraid! Don’t be discouraged!’22“But you all came to me and said, ‘First, let’s send out scouts to explore the land for us. They will advise us on the best route to take and which towns we should enter.’23“This seemed like a good idea to me, so I chose twelve scouts, one from each of your tribes. 24They headed for the hill country and came to the valley of Eshcol and explored it. 25They picked some of its fruit and brought it back to us. And they reported, ‘The land the LORD our God has given us is indeed a good land.’26“But you rebelled against the command of the LORD your God and refused to go in. 27You complained in your tents and said, ‘The LORD must hate us. That’s why he has brought us here from Egypt—to hand us over to the Amorites to be slaughtered.Deuteronomy 1:20-27 NLT
After 40 years of wandering.
After watching, first hand, the miracles of God in providing manna, quail, the Red Sea, a pillar of cloud and a pillar of fire.
After observing that their shoes did not wear out.
When they stood on the border of the wilderness and the Promised Land-
Instead of thanking God.
Instead of praising God.
Instead of stampeding into the land in order to receive all the Lord had provided.
Instead of believing what God said.
They said, First let's...
Let us send out scouts--to see that it's really as good as You say it is.
Let us think about the people living there--they are too big, too strong, too many.
Let us consider whether or not we can do what's necessary to keep this land God has given to us.
Standing on the edge of all that God had promised.
Having arrived at the destination they had been straining to reach for 40 years.
About to step into what had been given to them generations before.
We are so like them!
All that God offers, we doubt.
All that God desires to give, we question.
All that God has promised for us, we become incredulous to.
All that God has done, we forget.
Maybe it's time we take a leap of faith and take our first step across the border into what it is He has led us to!
